Presidents Message

Skytech started operations in 1976 as a maintenance provider, and our corporate self-image remains largely influenced by our ever-expanding service capacity. Reliable service led to new aircraft sales opportunities which led to trade-ins. Trade-ins – for which our factory authorized warranty support was not always required - generated a favorable environment for the sale of late-model pre-owned airplanes. And while our focus is new aircraft from Cessna, Piper, or Pilatus - Skytech has become very proficient in the sale of quality, late-model aircraft of various types. 

We were always enthralled with the effort and travel challenges someone would – or had to – endure to buy a quality pre-owned airplane. In fact, for a couple of decades Skytech used to track the states into which we had delivered airplanes. North Dakota still sits out there by itself, but we have had multiple customers in the other 49. I guess when you have delivered over 250 PA-46s (just PA-46s) you are going to get customers from all over. 

But by now the 49 states and the 250 Malibus are actually old news. If you have walked through any of Skytech’s FBO facilities in the past 60 days or so you may have noticed that a set of flags now adorns each facility. It wasn’t that last year’s Olympics inspired us to come up with new decorations. Instead, with the U.S. mired in a recession of historic proportions we reverted to something that we have quietly been doing for over 35 years – selling airplanes in other countries. We took a few minutes one day to total how many countries that we have done business in (or in most cases are doing business in) and the number surprised us a little bit – 32. And we’re about to add Spain. 

Because new airplanes are Skytech’s point of emphasis in the sales arena the number of countries that we sell airplanes into snuck up on us a little bit. But, just like in the sales to the 49 states, new airplanes breed late-model trades. And late-model trades have a worldwide appeal when you can back them up with expertise in exports, excellent record-keeping and a staff that, among the group of us, speaks several languages. 

And as for North Dakota, we’re thinking about a special prize for the first entity from there to buy an airplane from Skytech. Something about that empty spot on the map bugs me.